The Miami Heat need to acquire a power forward this offseason. Luckily, there are multiple solid options, ranging from role players to certified stars.
Luke Babbitt is currently playing the best basketball of his career. Since Jan. 12, he’s third in the NBA in three-point shooting, converting an absurd 50.5 percent of his looks. He only trails Tony Snell (no, seriously) and Chris Paul. The Miami Heat have been 1.7 points better with Babbitt on the floor in that span, and plus-0.5 points per 100 possessions for the year.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has given him the ultimate green light to shoot, and with good reason. Babbitt’s ability to knock down shots is one of the driving forces behind Miami’s turnaround. Also encouraging, he has worked hard defensively. There’s only so much he can do, as he has limits in that capacity, but at the very least, he’s making opposing forwards earn their baskets.
And yet, the Heat still head into the summer of 2017 with a hole to fill at power forward. Chris Bosh will be off the books by then, while Babbitt and fellow 4-man James Johnson will be free agents, as well. It’s far from a certainty that either will be back next season.
So team president Pat Riley and general manager Andy Elisburg will have money to spend (potentially a lot of it), on finding replacements in the open market. Fortunately for Heat fans, there are a lot of interesting possibilities set to become available this summer.
Let’s take a look at a few.